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Midsouth Entomologist

Abstract

Tarnished plant bugs (Hemiptera: Miridae) and southern green stink bugs (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) infest cotton and cause similar symptoms. To increase our understanding of the feeding preferences of these insects so that thresholds and management strategies for these species can be improved, southern green stink bug and tarnished plant bug adults and nymphs were caged on cotton plants containing both squares and bolls. At harvest, bolls were analyzed for lint yield and quality in relation to their position on the plant when infested. The five nodes immediately below the infested flower node (small bolls when infested) had fewer undamaged bolls on plants infested with southern green stink bug adults or nymphs, but infestation with tarnished plant bug adults or nymphs had no impact on the number of undamaged bolls. There were no significant differences among treatments in yield or in the number of undamaged locules from bolls above the infested flower node (squares when infested). Several cotton fiber quality measurements were reduced by southern green stink bugs, but not by tarnished plant bugs. Southern green stink bugs damaged cotton more, per insect, than did tarnished plant bugs. Southern green stink bug adults appeared to be more damaging than late instars. Most measures of damage increased linearly for increasing densities of southern green stink bug, but changes in density of tarnished plant bugs had no impact on lint yield or quality.

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